I never think of any possibility to study aboard before I graduate from high school because of my middle-class family with four siblings. However, when I was exposed to some information about study in Taiwan, I was really attracted by its not-too-expensive cost and the great study environment! I’ll arrange the reasons why I chose Taiwan into the following parts.

1.Affordable tuition fee and attractive scholarship.

In the case of study aboard, the tuition fee to study in Taiwan is far cheaper than study in other countries. The most important point is that most of the universities provide a lot of scholarships! As long as you are willing to study hard, you can get the rewards by deducting the tuition fee. Some of the scholarships can even offer you the full scholarship, which means you do not need to pay any of the tuition fees!

2. Working is allowed.

As long as you applied for the working permit successfully, you can work for any jobs that you would like to try during your free time. I think working is a good way to spend my free time because I can earn some pocket money and obtain a lot of practical experiences at the same time (doesn’t matter that it is something related to my profession or not). Besides that, I can also experience the different working etiquette and culture.

3. Excellent public transportation system.

As an international student, I like Taiwan’s public transportation system the most. Although MRT is not set up in every city, there’s a lot of other options for the public transports. The best of all is that - in Taichung, we do not need to pay any of the bus fees as long as the travel distance is within 10km (only in Taichung). In this case, we can almost go anywhere with free buses. It’s very convenient! Another good option of public transport is to ride a public bicycle –Ubike(or ibike, they have different name in different city). There’s a lot of Ubike station around the cities in Taiwan. One Easy Card is enough for you to take any of the public transport. This is the best thing for the international student who doesn’t have any of the driving licenses like me.

This is not a hard decision. For a girl who really wanted to step out of the comfort zone and try something new like me, Taiwan is my best choice.

2. Briefly tell us about the program you are studying. What subjects are you studying? What have you enjoyed the most in your studies?

The program I’m currently taking is Language and Literacy Education, which means I’m learning Chinese language and also the teaching skills at the same time. This is the most noteworthy characteristic of the program, and also my favorite part of the program.

I already set my target course – the course that study Chinese language, before I decided the university I’m going to register. When I receive the information about my current program, I was really attracted by this special feature! I didn’t really expose to the information of Taiwan’s universities’ program when I was studying in Malaysia high school, that’s why I never think of the program which can study Chinese and then directly related to its teaching method.

I’ll give an example of this feature. I had a study of Chinese characters class during my first semester of year two. We learned a lot of Chinese characters’ history, the origin, the characteristics, and the way our ancestors created this amazing writing system. The second semester led us to the way to teach the children or foreigners about the Chinese characters. The professor showed us the different teaching skills first and we designed our own teaching plan afterward. Finally, we taught according to our teaching plan as the final examination. When we gained enough knowledge about the Chinese characters, and add on the professional teaching skills, we can actually teach better than the others.

3. How is studying in Taiwan when compared to studying and being a student in your home country? (Teaching Quality、Environment、School Equipment、Laboratory or others)

There’s quite a lot ofdifference between study in Malaysia and study in Taiwan. It’s not about good or bad, it’s about the way that suits me the most.

Taiwan is a country that mainly takes Chinese as first language. In this case, they do Chinese education better than Malaysia. I’ve met a lot of great professors throughout my university life. I learned a lot of specialized knowledge, for example, Chinese Lexicology and Scholium, History of Chinese Literature, Chinese Etymology, Classical Poems, Theory and Practice of Writing Instruction and etc. The knowledge I gained throughout these years will turn into my secret weapons when it comes to the working place.

2. Taiwan provides different study and teaching method.

I’ve been studied for almost 13 years under Malaysia’s teaching method with all of the Malaysian friends. Most of the time, we were sitting in the classroom and learn about the theories. When I first came to Taiwan, I feel that there’s a little bit different between the teaching methods between both countries. Instead of sitting in the class, my whole class and I went to the learning center with my professor by taking train when I was year one. We went there to learn about how the students studied, and what can we learn from them. We also do a lot of service learning. We have to clean the street or join a charity event (for example old folks home activities) to really serve the community. This is really meaningful and different from the way I studied for the past thirteen years!

3. I met more different cultures with friends in Taiwan.

I think I will never have to chance to get connect with all of the different cultures like I do right now if I go for a university or college at Malaysia. Getting knows more friends from different countries with different languages and cultures are really interesting and exciting! I have a lot of friends all the way from Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Macao, Korea……I like the time when we arguing and sharing about our different opinions on something. It’s also interesting to know the different study method from different culture!

4. What has been the most difficult part about applying to study in Taiwan? How did you overcome the difficulty?

The biggest challenge I’ve met when I applied for the university in Taiwan was that I can hardly find any information about study in Taiwan. I was graduated from national high school. Just for your information, national high schools in Malaysia usually lack Chinese language class and that’s why they usually not providing education fair with the appearance of Taiwan’s university (at the time when I was 17, around 4 years ago). When I have no information about it, I was afraid to make a choice to study aboard.

It was not until I met the counselor from Study in Taiwan Alumni Association Sabah that I finally made a decision to study in Taiwan. He knew the course that I wish I can further study and then he supplied me a lot of information about study in Taiwan. He even made a lot of analysis on my plans and opinions. After a few meetings, he sweeps away my worries and helps me to make up my mind.

5. What do you plan to do after you have finish your studies in Taiwan? Would you like to stay in Taiwan? Why?

I am going to graduate after two months and I already make a decision to go back to Malaysia for a job. It’s a hard decision to leave Taiwan (because I really love Taiwan very much) but I think Malaysia provides more opportunities for my expertise. However, I don’t rule out the possibility to come back to Taiwan for a master study or working in the future.

6. How do you think studying in Taiwan can benefit you in your future career?

I absolutely confirm that study in Taiwan brings a lot of benefits in my future career. I will elaborate my opinions into few points as shown below:

1. Chinese pronunciation is better than before.

A good pronunciation is important for a teacher or any language speaker. Since Taiwanese speak Chinese in a very good and accurate pronunciation, I also learned a lot under this atmosphere. Finally, my Chinese pronunciation turned into the same pronunciation as Taiwanese do. Besides that, there’re also courses about teaching the foreigner to speak Chinese accurately. Thus, I can bring better Chinese pronunciation back to Malaysia and teach the students.

2. Learned different Chinese language education system.

The Chinese education method in Malaysia is different from Taiwan. Therefore, I can bring what I’ve learned in Taiwan back to Malaysia and design a creative teaching method with the complex of both education system. I’m sure this will be one of my secret weapons in my future career too!

3. Open-minded and dare to accept challenge.

Taiwan is glutted with rich artistic and humanistic atmosphere. At the same moment, they are really creative! They keep their precious cultures by turning the old Military Kindred Village into the café or shops without changing its original structure and raising themselves to the world by showing their soft powers. I learned to be more creative and open-minded from my Taiwanese friends. These attitudes are the key to be success in my future career!

7. What do you see as your key achievements when studying in Taiwan?

The “When there’s a will, there’s a way”, the quote that always appears in our essay, is now becoming my key achievement when I study in Taiwan.

I used to be a person who dare not to try new things or step out of my comfort zone. However, just like everyone else who studies aboard, there’re a lot of challenges that I could never get rid of it during the days I study in Taiwan. I have to solve every problem by myself and try my best to fit myself into a brand new environment and culture. At the same moment, I have to find some jobs to fulfill my needs (to pay my own tuition fees and living expenses). All of these were really took time and patient.

When there’s a will, there’s a way. I gradually found out that there's actually a lot of solving methods for every problem. My problem-solving skills improved day by day. Every single obstruct turned into my problem-solving practice. And then, I realized that I’m actually better than I ever thought. The most important point was that Taiwan provides chances to the students. As an example, I was selected to be one of the members to join a Culture Exchange Program to Korea during the summer break of my third year. What we have to do is always be prepared and hold tide on every chance.

8. What advice do you have for other interested overseas students who want to come to Taiwan to study?

Be curious, be passionate, be focus.

Be curious about every single thing around you so that you can learn more than everyone else. Ask the local people when you don’t understand their culture, their food, their government, their rule, their fashion, or even their weather. Every answer for the question will turn into your own treasures!

Be passionate about your university life. When you make a choice to study in Taiwan, live a life that you would like to remember it forever. Be passionate about the different living style and culture shock. The most important thing is, be passionate about your own course and school.

Be focus on both your studies and entertainment. Life is never about only one side but “do one thing at a time”. When there’s time to study, stay focus on your studies. Try to hit the best of the best. When it comes to the chilling time, take your time to explore the beauty of this island. You may go on a trip around Taiwan by riding bicycle, motorcycle or even by taking train. It will be your best memory in the future!

In short, remember you only live once. Make your life different and memorable.